Sounders camp continues to 'middle' around in California

One thing you can truly say about Sounders FC's first-ever training camp under Sigi Schmid...the club are really looking over a long list of midfielders.

Before heading to California the club cut former Sounders midfielders Sakuda, Treschuk, Kante and Alcaraz-Cuellar. Joining the team for a look-see in Ventura County now are Quavas Kirk, Ryan Caugherty and Kyle Schmid. That brings the total of middies in camp to approximately 11, give or take a guy versatile enough to play up or back.

How many of these new guys are actual prospects to make the club? Kirk, Caugherty and Schmid (yes, that is Sigi's son) all come to training without dazzling stats or career trajectories.

We only have a short time frame to evaluate how Sigi runs a camp so far, but some of us who are following along closely are already scratching our heads at the steady stream of in and outs in the middle and the lack of talent in the back where we need it most. Are we expecting the club to settle on players too soon?

You would think the club would want as close to a 'set' roster as they can get when they return home to Seattle and then play Vancouver and Colorado in pre-season closed-door friendlies (February 22, March 12). Yet, it appears players (such as Mandou Bojang) will just be arriving on the scene for extended stays at that time. Perhaps the core set of starters have already been selected in Schmid's mind and he's looking for reserves with perceived upside.

If anyone knows how to run a camp that 'peaks' just at the right time, it would be Sigi Schmid. That's good news, because the guys filtering through right now do not impress me.

Jose Romero spoke with one of the fails-to-impress-me guys, Quavas Kirk, yesterday in the Seattle Times. See Quavas on and off the pitch in the videos below. He strikes as me as "Khano Smith, but without the winning experience." Oh wait...we've already got Khano for now, right?





Photo credit: Ghana defender Mandou Bojang is expected to join Sounders camp when they return from Argentina. (Rick Morrsion)

MORE: The Seattle Times' Jose Romero is in California with the club and his blogs and reports are must-reading.